Overview
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) offers funding for construction activities through its Keystone Historic Preservation Construction Grants. The Commonwealth's Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund provides the funding for these grants.
Keystone construction grants assist nonprofit organizations and local government with construction projects that preserve, restore, or rehabilitate publicly accessible historic places.
At a glance
Eligibility
- Applicants: Nonprofit organizations and local governments are eligible to apply. Private property owners, including homeowners, are not eligible.
- Properties: Historic places in Pennsylvania that are listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and are accessible to the public for a minimum period each year are eligible.
Funding
- Minimum grant award is $5,000 and maximum award is $100,000. Funding requests require a 50/50 cash match.
- Funding is available for preservation, restoration, and/or rehabilitation construction work. Keystone Historic Preservation Planning grants are available for preservation planning projects.
- This is a reimbursable grant for project-related expenses. Successful applicants need to maintain an adequate cash match to ensure completion of their project within the grant period.
Grant conditions
- Projects must meet the goals and objectives of Pennsylvania’s current statewide historic preservation plan.
- All grant-assisted construction work must meet the Secretary of the Interior's "Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties".
- Preservation covenants are required on all properties receiving funding from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
Timeline
- Successful applicants must complete their projects within a twenty-four (24) month period.
- Grant supported project expenditures cannot begin until the successful applicant has received a fully executed grant agreement.
How to apply
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1
Review the requirements for Keystone Construction grants.
Read through the information on this page for program guidelines, eligibility, funding awards, and timelines and review the additional resources for applicants.
Applicants may apply for a Keystone Historic Preservation Planning Grant or a Keystone Historic Preservation Construction Grant, not both, in the same funding round.
If you have questions on the grant program or the National Register status of a property, contact our staff.
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2
Prepare and submit your application.
The application deadline for Keystone construction grants is March 2, 2026. Applications must include all required attachments, including documentation from the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of National Register status.
All applications must be completed on DCED's Single Application for Assistance. For additional help with the Electronic Single Application for Assistance system, contact the Enterprise E-Grants Customer Service Center at 833-448-0647 or egrantshelp@pa.gov.
PHMC no longer requires or accepts hard copies of the application or supporting documents.
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3
PHMC will review your application.
The Keystone Historic Preservation Grant is a competitive application based on publicly available evaluation criteria.
PHMC will review applications received by the application deadline and convene peer review panels to consider eligible applications. PHMC expects to provide panel funding recommendations to the PHMC commissioners for review and approval at their June 2026 meeting.
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4
Applicants are notified.
Following approval, applicants will be notified with award or rejection letters. PHMC will provide grant agreements and additional materials to successful applicants.
Eligibility
Applicant eligibility
To apply for a Keystone Historic Preservation Construction Grant, an organization must meet the following requirements:
- Must be located in Pennsylvania;
- Must have tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Service or entity of local government;
- Must be incorporated and serving the public for at least five (5) consecutive years prior to the submission of the application; and
- Must be registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State: Bureau of Charitable Organizations, as required. Information may be obtained by writing Bureau of Charitable Organizations, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of State, P.O. Box 8723, Harrisburg, PA 17105 or by calling 800-732-0999.
- Certified Local Governments*
- Colleges and universities
- Conservancies
- Historic preservation organizations
- Historical societies
- Local governments
- Museums
- Religious institutions
- Other historical organizations
- Museums and historic sites that are owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission but operated by independent nonprofit organizations
- Multipurpose organizations. Individual subunits (e.g. Moravian Pottery and Tile Works) within multipurpose government (e.g. County of Bucks) or tax-exempt organizations may apply for grants if they function as a discrete unit within the parent organization. A subunit that is part of a larger organization will be deemed eligible if:
- The unit has administrative autonomy for its operations.
- The unit has a fully segregated and itemized operating budget within that of the parent organization.
- The unit is able to separately and distinctly fulfill all eligibility and application requirements as defined in these guidelines.
- More than one qualified subunit within a multipurpose organization may apply for funding during the same grant cycle.
*Certified Local Governments and applicants located within a CLG receive special consideration as part of the evaluation process. Applicants must identify the CLG in which their project is located.
- Museums and historic sites operated by PHMC;
- Associate groups at museums and historic sites operated by PHMC;
- Management groups at museums and historic sites owned by PHMC;
- Museums and historic sites operated by state or federal government agencies;
- Associate groups at museums and historic sites operated by state or federal government agencies;
- Commonwealth-assisted libraries (grants are available through the Department of Education);
- For-profit organizations or corporations;
- State government;
- Federal government; and
- Individuals.
Property eligibility
The property for which funds are requested must meet the following requirements:
- Must be located in Pennsylvania.
- Must be documented as being listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, either individually or as a contributing property in a National Register Historic District. (Applications that do not include appropriate documentation from the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office will not be eligible for funding.)
- Must be open and accessible to the public on a regular basis, not less than 100 days per year. (If it is not currently accessible to the public, the applicant must include detailed plans to open the property to the public as a result of the grant.)
Funding
Grant awards are subject to the annual availability of funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Funding is based on the state fiscal year, July through June.
Funding amounts
Requests for funding to the Historic Preservation Construction Grants may range from $5,000 (for $10,000 projects) to $100,000 (for projects of $200,000 and over) and require a 50/50 cash match. The Commission may, at its discretion, consider applications for grants under $5,000 and may approve partial funding for larger requests.
Emergency funding
The Commission will consider allocating emergency funding to secure historic properties from further damage from the elements while a corrective work plan is developed, without exceeding the program’s maximum request amount. Emergency funding is to support the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration of significant character-defining features of a damaged historic property in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
Only projects impacted by forces of nature such as flood, fire, tornado, hurricane, or earthquake are considered eligible for emergency grant funding. Structural issues due to neglect are not eligible to receive support. Vandalism is considered an eligible activity if situation warrants to secure the property from further physical damage. Interested applicant should submit a letter of interest to phmckeystonegrants@pa.gov describing the historic property, catastrophic incident, date of catastrophic incident, description of resultant damage, and outline of the needed repairs.
Matching requirements
Grants require a 50/50 cash match in funds. Sources of the cash match may include direct organizational funds or grant awards from private foundations, federal programs, or other state agencies.
Salaries or wages paid to employees of the applicant are not considered to be cash contributions and cannot be included as matching funds. Although the cash match need not be secured when the application is made, evidence that the organization or municipality already has their match will be considered positively in the evaluation process. Applications that already have a full or partial cash match show an investment on behalf of the organization and demonstrate institutional capacity for the successful completion of the project within the grant period. In-kind contributions may not be used to satisfy the matching requirement.
In addition:
- Grant-supported project expenditures cannot begin until the successful applicant has received a fully executed grant agreement.
- Project-related expenses are reimbursable. Successful applicants need to maintain an adequate cash match to ensure completion of their project within the grant period.
Supported project categories
This grant supports three categories of construction projects.
Definition: The act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity and materials of a historic property.
Work, including preliminary measures to protect and stabilize the property, generally focuses upon the ongoing maintenance and repair of historic materials and features rather than extensive replacement and new construction. New exterior additions are not within the scope of this treatment but are subject to review if associated with the overall project; however, the limited and sensitive upgrading of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and other code required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a preservation project.
Definition: The act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural and architectural values.
Definition: The act or process of accurately depicting the form, features and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period.
The limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and other code related work to make properties functional is appropriate within a restoration project.
Examples of projects
Specific examples of fundable project work include the following:
- Site work: Subsurface investigation, selective demolition, drainage and restoration of designed landscapes and gardens;
- Concrete: Poured-in-place concrete, precast concrete, concrete restoration and cleaning;
- Masonry: Brick or stone repair or replacement, repointing mortar joints and cleaning;
- Metals: Structural metal framing and metal restoration or replacement;
- Wood and plastics: Rough and finish carpentry, architectural woodwork and millwork;
- Thermal and moisture protection: Roofing, flashing, waterproofing, damp proofing and insulation;
- Doors and windows: Repair and restoration, frame repair, replacement and hardware;
- Finishes: Lath and plaster repair, gypsum wallboard, ceramic tile, wood paneling, floors and painting;
- Conveying systems: Elevators;
- Mechanical: Plumbing, fire protection systems, heating, cooling and air distribution;
- Electrical: Service, distribution and lighting; and
- Accessibility improvements for people with disabilities.
Keystone Historic Preservation Construction Grants may not be used to fund the following:
- Mitigation activities performed as a condition or precondition for obtaining a state or federal permit or license;
- New construction and additions;
- Reconstruction such as recreating a building or landscape;
- Projects whose entire scope of work consists solely of routine or cyclical maintenance;
- Landscaping as part of non-historic site improvements including parking lots, sidewalks, etc.;
- Archaeological excavations (Archaeology that is undertaken as part of a rehabilitation project to mitigate ground disturbing activities such as site work or foundation repair is eligible for reimbursement.);
- Projects which consist only of predevelopment work such as historic structure reports or construction documents (eligible activity under the Keystone Historic Preservation Project Program); and
- Acquisition of historic properties and/or land.
Grant conditions
- All grant assisted construction work must meet the Secretary of the Interior's "Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties".
- Preservation covenants are required on all properties receiving funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The covenant is a formal agreement between the PHMC and the grantee in which the grantee agrees to ensure the maintenance and preservation of the architectural and historical characteristics that qualify the property as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The covenant is in place for a period of up to ten years and requires the owner to contact the PHMC for review and approval prior to the commencement of any substantial construction that may adversely affect the property's eligibility for the National Register.
- Work cannot begin until the successful applicant has received a copy of a fully executed Grant Agreement.
- Project or design work must be initiated within forty-five days of the date that the fully executed Grant Agreement is sent to the grantee.
- Grantees may be required to abide by the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act if the estimated cost of project work exceeds $25,000 and is supported by any public funds. Grantees are advised to seek legal counsel to determine whether the Act applies.
Timeline
If the applicant is selected for funding, their project period will extend from the date of execution of the grant agreement, approximately September 1, 2026 to September 30, 2028. No work completed prior to the execution of the grant agreement will be eligible for reimbursement.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 22, 2026 | Deadline for applications |
| May 2026 | Peer reviews |
| June 2026 | PHMC approves panel recommendations Award/rejection letters and grant agreements mailed to applicants |
| September 1, 2026 | Project start date/Fully executed grant agreement |
| January 2027 – September 2028 | Quarterly reports delivered by recipients |
| September 30, 2028 | Project end date/Final reports due |
Resources for applicants
Fact sheets
Videos
- Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Program: What You Need to Know - Module 1 – Overview of grant eligibility and other important information about the application process
- Navigating the Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Program - Module 2 – Information about the Electronic Single Application process
- PA SHPO Keystone Construction Grant Webinar - Module 3 – Information about the grant program, eligibility, and building a competitive application
- PA SHPO Keystone Planning Grant Webinar - Module 4 – Information about the grant program, eligibility, and building a competitive application
Other grants
Questions?
For questions, contact phmckeystonegrants@pa.gov or call 717-783-8946.
